0. 0 ••00. 00••00 . 00• • 0 . 00 . 00• • 0 . 0 ••( 000 00. 00 . 00 000 0 . 00 000 0 00 0 . 0 . 0 O. 0 . 0 . O. 0 . 0 • . 0 ( o •• 00 • • 0 00 • • 0 0 00 • 00 00 00 0 ( • 0 • • • mrU Dean rejoices, feels fortunate in life changing events Growing up in rural Arkansas, Dr. Tony Finley, dean of the College of Education, said he had dreams of playing professional baseball. However, an unforeseen event caused him to alter his plans when he was 17 yea rs old. Finley said he was incroduced to baseball at the age of 12 when a friend of his suggested that they join a local league. "Mygood friend Larry Romine said we could get our ofsocial studies class and go down and sign up for baseball," Finley said. "Ofcourse Jcouldn't pass that up being a youngster. Tmade sure Tgot assigned to a team." For five years he spent most of his free time in practice and preparing for the next big game, but said when he sudden ly lost his arm in an accident, he quickly learned there we re bigger things in life. "}am a firm believer that a large part ofyour education comes from outside a school building," Finley said. "It's the so called 'life of hard knocks.' Probably the best thing that ever happened [0 me was what happened on July 19, 1960, when I lost my arm in an accident. I thought the only thing I wanted [0 do was to play professional baseball, but the accidem showed me ve ry quickly that was something ve ry unimportant." Fin ley said he spent his senior yea r in high school attending class in the mornings and going [0 the hospital in the afternoons. It was during that time he knew he needed to do someth ing differem with his life, so he decided to teach. Although his parems could not afford to send him to college, he said money from workman's compensation and jobs he had worked were just Tony Finley, dean ofthe College of Education, discusses the results of the recent Higher Learning Commission visit by the review team at the College of Education's meeting Oct. 17. One of the focuses of the HLC's visit was to approve a new education doctorate qualified to teach pre~kindergarten to doctorate level students. -Chelsea Roberson enough to get him through school. "~I had a goal and' was dri ven to it,; Finley said. "I had enough money to go to school for three years. I got with my advisers, mapped our my program, and was able to finish in six semesters and two summers." Finley worked in educarion for more than four decades and said he had always loved teach ing. "Th is is my 43rd year of teaching." Finley said. "And I still come to school as excited as I did on my first day." As dean of the College of Education, Finley said be believed a good educa– tor must have a true concern for his or her srudems. "Teachers need co have a caring personality. really caring for the scudenrs they teach," Finley said. "They need to be really concerned about their studems' personal life, spiritual life and educational life." In addi tion to teaching. he said he always tried to be involved in the local community: coaching baseball for nearly 29 years, serving as an elder for more than 13 and staning a construction company while raising a family. Finley said despite his limitation, he received most of his motivation from Philippians 4: 13 wh ich read, "I can do everyth ing through [Christ] who gives me strength." He said he was grateful for his life experiences. "I feel like I have been extremely fortunate," Finley said. "Maybe as Lou Gehr~g said in his,~1rewell speech in Yankee Stadium, 'I feel like the luckiest man In the world. -Brian Hall
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